In this 2019 piece for Psychology Today, Georgia Ede summarizes the potential role metabolic defects in the brain may have in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD).
In both AD and PD, defective brain glucose metabolism leads to brain cell dysfunction and death. In AD, this defect begins in the hippocampus, which controls memory function; in PD, the substantia nigra, which controls movement coordination, deteriorates first. Both are among the most glucose-hungry regions of the brain and are therefore uniquely sensitive to metabolic defects. Impaired insulin sensitivity in the brain (described in detail previously on CrossFit.com) can cause these defects by preventing insulin from crossing the blood-brain barrier, thereby degrading the metabolic capacity of brain cells even when glucose remains available.
Multiple studies have begun to suggest insulin resistance plays a role in PD progression. More than half of PD patients are insulin resistant, and those who are insulin resistant tend to have more severe symptoms and faster disease progression than those who are not (1). AD has similarly been theorized to have a link to insulin resistance (as previously discussed on CrossFit.com), with some going so far as to call it “Type 3 diabetes.”
Two small pilot trials have tested a ketogenic diet (KD) in PD patients. A small 2005 pilot study (2) observed improvements according to a scale measuring PD symptom severity (3) when patients followed a KD, though this may have been due to a diet-drug interaction. A 2018 trial (4) found PD patients who followed a KD demonstrated improvements in nonmotor daily living experiences, though there were no significant improvements in motor control.
These preliminary data suggest insulin resistance in the brain, or some other metabolic defect, may play a role in AD and PD progression. Additional research is needed to understand the clinical significance of these observations.
Notes
- High prevalence of undiagnosed insulin resistance in non-diabetic subjects with Parkinson’s disease.; Insulin resistance and Parkinson’s disease: A new target for disease modification?
- Treatment of Parkinson disease with diet-induced hyperketonemia: A feasibility study
- Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale
- Low-fat versus ketogenic diet in Parkinson’s disease: A pilot randomized controlled trial
Comments on Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and the New Science of Hope
My wife was diagnosed of Parkinson’s Disease at age 61. She had severe calf pain, muscle pain, tremors, slurred speech, frequent falls, loss of balance, difficulty in getting up from sitting position. She was put on Senemet for 6 months and then Siferol was introduced and replaced the Senemet. During this time span she was also diagnosed with dementia. She started having hallucinations and lost touch with reality. Last year, our family doctor started her on Uine Health Centre PD-5 formula, 2 months into treatment she improved dramatically. At the end of the full treatment course, the disease is totally under control. No case of dementia, hallucination, weakness, muscle pain or tremors. My wife is strong again and has gone on with her daily activities as I share this experience. I’m surprised a lot of PWP haven’t heard of PD-5 formula. just google uinehealthcentre. com
The love of my life for the last 17 years was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease nearly 4 years ago, at age 52. He had a stooped posture, tremors, muscle stiffness, horrible driving skills, and slow movement. He was placed on Sinemet 50/200 at night for 7 months and then Sifrol and rotigotine were introduced which replaced the Sinemet but he had to stop due to side effects. He started having hallucinations, lost touch with reality. Suspecting it was the medications I took him off the Siferol (with the doctor’s knowledge) In March this year his primary physician suggested we started him on Natural Herbs Centre ( Naturalherbscentre. com ) Ayurveda Parkinson’s Protocol which eased his anxiety a bit, i’m happy to report this PD Ayurvedic treatment worked very effectively. His Parkinson’s is totally under control, he had a total decline in symptoms, the tremors, shaking, stiffness, slow movement and speech problems stopped. I can personally vouch for these remedy but you would probably need to decide what works best for you
Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and the New Science of Hope
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